Build your skills by doing these exercises on your own
Visit a website like www.bloomberg.com and find the bonds section. Peruse the various rates listed on bonds of different maturities.Note how the interest rate tends to be higher the longer the maturity of the bond. Why do you think this is so?
If you don't already own your own home, pick out a local community where you think you might want to buy sometime in the future (maybe even the distant future) and take a look at the real estate listings for that community. Notice how price varies with size of the house, size of the lot, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, proximity to a school, whether or not it has a view, and even things like the crime rate. If you have time, go to several open houses that realtors typically hold on the weekends, and experience the house-hunting process first hand.
Visit a website like Wikipedia and read up on “junk bonds.” What role did they play in the 2007 financial crisis? What other financial scandals have they been associated with?